The right wing talking point lately that Obama is a socialist who intends to "spread the wealth around" has really ticked me off!
I'm sick of the right wing talking points. I'm sick of scare tactics. Instead of having conversations about the pros and cons of economic policy, they just throw out scare phrases: "socialist" "raise taxes", etc. Do they really think we're THAT stupid?
I won't go into the fact that THEY have created the largest deficit in US history. I won't go into the fact that THEY have socialized Wall Street and the national banking system. Robbing the poor to save the rich.
But what I WILL go into is why Americans need to stop buying into the scare phrases like "socialist" and realize that they've been allowing rich people to get filthy stinking rich by breaking OUR backs!
Republicans are actually claiming it's socialism because Obama wants to give working class and middle class people tax cuts. They don't consider it "welfare" to give oil companies $4B in tax cuts, but don't you dare help the working class family. That's socialism.
Consider this: Wal-Mart chooses to pay its CEO almost $30M a year. That's 600 times what it pays in average salary to everyone else. They also choose to pay tens of thousands of their workers the minimum wage legally permissible and then give them no health care and no other benefits. In fact, more than half do NOT have health care through Walmart. So what do these people turn to? They receive food stamps and medicaid to supplement their living. Who pays? TAXPAYERS DO.
In other words, Wal-Mart places it's owners on the Richest Americans List left and right all by paying their workers so little that the rest of us taxpayers have to subsidize their basic needs like food and health care.
So, why shouldn't those people pay a couple percentage points more in taxes? God knows they're still doing better than if things were REALLY equal and they had to pay all their employees a living wage? I'd be perfectly happy with that scenario!
Rich people: Pay your employees living wages and stop making taxpayers take care of their food, health and basic needs..and, THEN you can keep that low tax rate. Until then, pay more and shut up. You're getting a damned good deal.
[Another rant that I just have to throw in here: I am so sick of hearing about Average Joe, Joe Six Pack, and Joe the Plumber. What about JOSEPHINE Average? Josephine the Teacher?????]